The Ashley Madison debacle claimed its latest victim today, yet another man who meant no harm and who had the utmost confidence in the promised privacy of the extramarital hookup site. That would be CEO Noel Biderman, who resigned a week after hackers released the identities of 37 million alleged Ashley Madison account holders on an unsuspecting world, a data breach that has resulted in an international investigation, lawsuits, widespread embarrassment, and some of the more disturbing statistical graphics we've seen in a while. (As for the predicted uptick in divorce filings...presumably that graph is being pieced together right this second.) It seems like only yesterday when Ashley Madison, which has been around since 2001, was just this upsetting idea you heard about in a commercial on basic cable during that @midnight time in the lineup when all of the ads seem to be promoting sketchy behavior that requires a credit-card number. And it almost was. The data breach just came to light a little over a month ago and the hackers only published the data...last week?! Ah, 'twas such a simpler time... Meanwhile, this scandal shows no signs of slowing down, especially since that data is still being sifted through, sites panning away in hopes of striking click-bait gold. So that you're fully briefed on what everyone at school, work, the gym, your kids' school, et al. is talking about, here's a breakdown of everything you need to know about the Ashley Madison scandal: PHOTOS: These celebrities are Canadian! How It All Started: Ashley Madison confirmed July 20 that a group of hackers who identified themselves as The Impact Team had breached whatever it was the website had in place to protect its 37 million users' identities, putting said identities at risk of exposure. "We immediately launched a thorough investigation utilizing leading forensics experts and other security professionals to determine the origin, nature, and scope of this incident," the company said in its initial statement. "We apologize for this unprovoked and criminal intrusion into our customers' information." The Impact Team, meanwhile, demanded that parent company Avid Life Media shut Ashley Madison and another site, Established Men, down. The hackers also went public alleging that Ashley Madison did not take measures to remove users' credit card info from its database as it claimed to do. The Takeaway: 37 million users?! READ: So who wasn't on Ashley Madison? Ashley Madison Ashley Madison Time Marches On: That was kinda the end of that story for a while, maybe more than a few husbands endured some sleepless nights, but... No big deal. The Takeaway: Hmm, maybe the Impact Team isn't so impactful. Here Comes the Big Deal: Turns out, The Impact Team was just biding its time and getting its technological ducks in a row. On Aug. 18, The New York Times reported that the hackers had dumped 9.7 gigabytes of stolen user info from Ashley Madison and Established Men into a so-called dark space on the Internet. Scandalous! But you need a certain browser, it's really complicated... And who has the time... Oh. The Takeaway: The hackers meant business (and have since dropped 20 GB more). Why: The Impact Team has indicated that moral outrage—over both the service Ashley Madison provides and its $19 charge to wipe user data from its site, which it allegedly then did not do—prompted the airing of the dirty laundry. They suggested they might do the same to "any companies that make 100s of millions profiting off pain of others, secrets, and lies. Maybe corrupt politicians [too]," they told Motherboard. The Takeaway: Does Marvel need any more Avengers?ashley madison scandal, data breach, hacking, the impact team, josh duggar, scandal timeline

• published: 29 Aug 2015
• views: 3